“If this program is truly for and about our kids then why would we not want to put them in the drivers seat and make them the engineers?” 

- Charlie Reisinger 

With technology updating rapidly I am constantly thinking, "Why don't schools use more technology"? We are endlessly learning about new changes about it, but we aren't implementing it in our education. Using technology parallel to our education enables "personalized learning". It creates an individual experience, which then caters to a variety of learning styles leading to greater successes in our schools.

The argument claiming that keeping up with the latest technology costs schools more money that they don't have the budget for. I believe the government and school boards do have the money and should give educators it for the latest operating systems and devices. Children, and adults, are growing up in a world where it's crucial to learn these skills. And why not allow students to learn on devices they are most comfortable with for maximum learning?

I found the article "Why Aren't More Schools Using Free, Open Tools?" by Katrina Schwartz on Mind Shift, a site that explores the future of learning in cultural and technology trends. In the article it talks about Charlie Reisinger who is the technology director of Penn Manor School District in Pennsylvania. Their district recently gave 1,700 high school students laptops running Ubuntu operating systems, an easy-to-use version of the open source product Linux. Because of this decision in the first year alone those laptops saved the district $360,000. 

Reisinger goes onto mention that filters were put on helpful learning sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Co-workers had concerns of students breaking the system and filters. What I found the most interesting is that Reisinger didn't see that as a punishment or loss of privilege as a consequence. He believes punishment for such a thing contradicts the purpose of the laptops in the first place. They would get creative and learn how to use the devices which is his goal. “On the one hand we’re handing kids amazing learning devices, perhaps one of the most amazing inventions of the past 100 years, but yet we’re saying don’t learn about it, we don’t want you to understand how it works,” Reisinger said. 

I agree with his view of the use of technology in the school. Allowing full access to these devices we are given a world of exploration and problem solving at the tips of our fingers. Technology is such an incredible learning tool for education and has become so easily accessible. I wish my teachers would implement more applications, websites, and enhanced e-books into their curriculum more. I believe the future of this mix of technology and education is heading in this direction it will just take a bit until we're fully submersed in it.